"In the past children grew up running on bare soil and grass, explored backyard farms and gardens, climbed trees and wereexposed to a high level of bacteria," writes Danica-Lea Larcombe, PhD Candidate in Biodiversity and Human Health, Edith Cowan University."

"The microbiota is the community of bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our gut and on our skin. We need a diverse exposure for our body tofight inflammation effectively."

That’s where plants come in.

"The bacteria we have are similar to those of plants in that we both carry trillions of good and bad bacteria," Danica-Lea explains. "The diversity of the microbiota is measured by how many families of bacteria are present.

Three plants for your apartment

Peace lily in her prime 🙌🏽 we took this picture a few weeks ago, when our plant was still blooming (and it made our black planter & walnut stand look pretty great 👌🏽) But lately this lovely plant has been looking a little out of sorts and run-down. It's hard to tell if it's just in between lily blooms or if something else is the problem! hopefully it'll bounce back and surprise us with a new lily bloom sometime soon 🌿 #crazyplantlady #peacelily #objectmodern

Livia GambleBased in Sydney, Livia Gamble will not sleep until she has discovered every possible way to use bi-carb soda and vinegar. When she isn’t reporting on ways to improve your home and garden, she can be found knitting socks (by choice) and will never say no to pizza.